


First Aid

by Okami01



Series: Balthuri Week [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Healing, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25806646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami01/pseuds/Okami01
Summary: Balthus gets back from a fight and Yuri heals him. It should be as simple as that but Yuri has a crush on him.Prompt - Healing
Relationships: Balthazar von Adalbrecht | Balthus von Albrecht/Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc
Series: Balthuri Week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872283
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Balthuri Week





	First Aid

It's not like Yuri hasn't seen Balthus injured before. It's not at all a rare occurrence. Stupid fights that he could probably avoid if he tried hard enough.

The problem is that Balthus actively looked for fights. Ran straight into them barely thinking. Sure he was strong and he survived for this long reckless and moronic as he sometimes was. 

Yuri knew not to waste his time truly worrying about him. He'd be fine. Yuri had enough to worry about anyway. 

He could hear Balthus stumbling back onto the recesses of Abyss. Soon after, getting a drink from the underground tavern. 

So there was no reason for Yuri to go there too. Uncharacteristically frowning at Balthus's cheery smile. 

He waved and winced and went to cover a spot where he'd obviously been injured. 

"Yuri... Ahh you know it wasn't my fault this time," he said in excuse. Running a hand through his hair. There was still some blood in his fingernails. 

Yuri had this conversation all the time. He wasn't in the mood to have it again. He doesn't know why Balthus insists on lying like this. Well, he does but that doesn't make it any better.

So he shrugs. Forces a smile. His movements not impeded by some unnecessary pain. 

He'd pray to the goddess. Not that it wouldn't be a total waste. Whether it was for Balthus's safety, to impart some critical thinking skills. Maybe praying to the goddess to stop him from punching Balthus is the answer. 

No. That much, Yuri can control. At least to some extent. He reaches out and grabs Balthus by the now fraying and bloodied excuse for a coat he wears. 

" Are you ok Pal?"

No. " Yeah. Come with me."

Yuri is almost convinced that he should punch him. 

He doesn't. Instead, he pulls at Balthus's jacket and watches his eyes as he winces at the sudden movement. Balthus follows him anyway. 

They walk. Balthus muttering some form of excuse and laughing again.  
Yuri can't hear him. He can't hear the loud sounds of Abyss. He can barely feel his own footsteps. Muscle memory or something like it leads him back to his room.

" Are you… sure you're alright."

Yuri thinks that if he can't even fool Balthus, then he must be doing a bad job.

He nods anyway and pushes the other man down in a chair. 

"Ah, you know that sort of hurts pal."

" Yeah, I guess it would."

" Really, it's ok. I've been in fights worse than that. I am the Legendary King of Grappling after all."

Yuri nods again. An overly sentimental thought about how he wants to keep hearing Balthus talk comes to mind.  
It's true really. He's alive. He's fine. Even though there are bloodstains on his clothes and dirt on his chin. 

Yuri resists the urge to bite his lip. Or Balthus's lip for that matter.  
He doesn't know what to say, which doesn't happen often. 

He replays the facts quickly in his head. Yes, he's annoyed, yes it's the same as any other time, yes Balthus is alive and very foolish. 

Yuri can stare at Balthus. Stare at him like the next day he might be gone and buried. Force him to rest. Stare at his stupid injured and well-muscled chest. Kiss over his old scars.

Yuri could do all of those things. He's not going to of course. He could. It would be fun. Maybe. But probably not.  
Balthus doesn't like men. So he isn't going too. Yuri is, and forever will be, stuck in the friend zone. That's just how it is. At least he gets to be there. It's an alright place to be. 

He lets himself think about it for a moment as Balthus stares up at him. Trying presumably, to understand what's going on.

Yuri takes a deep breath and decides to do what he set out to do in the first place. Gets his thoughts back in order. Smiles and keeps his voice light. 

" I shouldn't be surprised that this would happen. I'm not really. Next time, try to not do anything stupid while I'm trying to sleep. Times like these are ideal for beauty rest."

And having nightmares about losing one of your best friends. Nightmares that are sometimes not all that nightmarish. Because sometimes they're more like fantasies where Yuri drags Balthus back to his room and they do a different sort of thing. 

" Uh-huh," Balthus looks up at him and nods. Irritating and completely oblivious to what's going on. 

Not that anything is actually going on.

" So… did you want to talk about something because… You could always come back and drink with me."

Yuri wants to. He has before. It shouldn't be any different now.

" Yes, yes, I will."

" But not now?"

Yuri drops down to his knees. He smiles. " You catch on quick." He teases. He lets his hand hover over Balthus's knee. Searching for injuries yet again. 

He watches Balthus frown. " Then what are you-"

Yuri presses down, harder than he should.

Balthus makes a muffled pained nose. Yuri feels bad instantly. That he's done this in the first place and that he cut Balthus off so he can't talk. 

" If you were more careful, then you wouldn't be injured in the first place, Balthus. Of course, it hurts."

" Hey, I earned the money back. It's fine."

It isn't. " I'm healing you," Yuri responds. Which is obvious but he says it anyway. Instead of," it isn't fine, "or" don't be careless." Or even, " what would I do if I lost you."

Light magic gathers at his palms. " Because, the next time that you do this, I won't be there to heal you."

Which is a poor excuse. Yuri doesn't know when the next time will be. Only that there will surely be a next time. 

Balthus waves one of his irritatingly big hands in protest. Moves to sit up. If he wanted to, he could push Yuri out the way. But he sits back down when Yuri stares at him. 

" Thanks but that's ok. You don't need to-"

" It's not a problem, this time." Or any time after it.

" Then I guess I owe you too." He laughs.

Yuri laughs too. Though partially at himself. 

"You do. Or you would… if we weren't friends." 

Yuri pauses and Balthus takes the time to say. " Not that you stick your neck out for all your friends."

"Mmm, that's true."

" I guess that's what makes me more special, huh."

" That's what normally makes you more in debt. I wouldn't normally do anything without getting paid first. That's the first mistake your loan shark friends keep making over and over again."

Balthus laughs yet again. " I'm already in enough debt as it is. A little more isn't going to hurt anyone. Money should be spent… not held up in some nobles wallet."

Yuri chuckles, " Is that what you told the guy before he punched you?" He asks. Already knowing the answer. 

Balthus shrugs. "Something like that."

" Something like that meaning they did more than punch you?"

" Yeah…"

Yuri tucks his hair behind his ear and goes back to work. 

The goddess would be thrilled. A gambling addict and a man using healing magic as an excuse to get closer to his crush. Not that he didn't actually want to heal Balthus. Better that he gets back to full health before he started to drink himself silly again. 

With that thought, the light flickers back in Yuri's hands. It takes him a while and, tired as he was already, he's exhausted once it really starts. 

He knows Balthus's body well. Because he stares at him sometimes. Because Balthus wears revealing outfits, works out, and fights all the time. Because Yuri cares about him. He thinks he always will. Even though it's starting to seem like a dangerous profession. For his heart mostly. 

Balthus smiles. He makes a pleased humming sound. Yuri had been paying too much attention to the other man's wounds. He isn't sure when it started. Only that Balthus's hand is tangled in his hair. 

Yuri looks up. Balthus looks down, his cheeks are red and he's still got that foolish grin on his face. 

Balthus takes what feels like an eternity before finally, and far too gently removing his hand. 

" Thanks, pal." He says in a weirdly hushed voice. 

" Yeah," Yuri says smiling. Then faking a pout. " You messed up my hair." He states. Because it's weird him not having said anything prior to now. 

" Oh. Yeah, sorry. I can buy ya a drink."

" With what coin?" Before Yuri knows it, he's smiling again. Not that he doesn't do that a lot around Balthus. Just not when he's injured.

Balthus answers the question that Yuri has nearly forgotten about already.  
" I earned a little from the fight."

Yuri stands. Brushes himself off. He's been in more uncomfortable situations than that before. He's usually more annoyed anyway. 

"Mmm, I guess something good can come of it all then."

Balthus stands and twists around. As if he could feel that much better. Yuri didn't heal him that much. As if he was hurting that much before. 

" Unless you want to go back to sleep or somethin'?"

" Heh, I'm fine Balthus. It takes a little more than this to tire me out."

"Mmm, good." Balthus grins. 

So they start walking back to the tavern. And despite everything, it is ok. He listens to Balthus's fighting stories and drowns out the sounds of Abyss yet again.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Balthuri Week! I feel like Yuri might actually just tell Balthus he's in love with him. Or maybe he wouldn't which is why I wrote this. 
> 
> @Tavitay on twitter!


End file.
